It is known to combat lesions of the mucosa, especially of the upper gastrointestinal tract, using various pharmaceuticals. Above all, active agents from the group of the H.sub.2 -receptor antagonists are utilized for this purpose. Despite the widespread use of these compounds, they exhibit certain drawbacks in their application. The required doses are undesirably high, particularly for long-term therapy.
Also, it has been demonstrated in various studies that several natural and synthetic prostaglandins are capable of protecting, in low dosages, the mucous epithelium of the upper gastrointestinal tract (cf. A. Robert in: Advances in Ulcer Disease, Editors: K.-H. Holtermueller, J.-R. Malagelada, Excerpta Medica 1980: 72-77; Amsterdam-Oxford-Princton; Inn. Med. 9:35-38 [1982]). However, these compounds, especially the natural prostaglandins and derivatives very similar to them, are not devoid of side effects, either. Moreover, for several of these compounds, the cytoprotective properties are manifest at doses which do not preclude with certainty a protection of the mucosa due to acid inhibition which is observed at similar dosages. This permits only moderate separation of these biological activities.